These buttery spritz cookies are the easiest cookies you’ll bake all holiday season! Five ingredients, one bowl and zero dough chilling. Grab your cookie press and press out trees, wreaths, snowflakes and any other shape imaginable, then decorate with sprinkles for bite-sized holiday cookies perfect for gifting, freezing and piling into cookie boxes.
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Meet the Buttery Christmas Cookie Everyone Loves
Some of my earliest holiday memories revolve around my mom’s giant white stand mixer, churning out batch after batch of Christmas cookies. Sugar cookies, thumbprints, candy cane cookies… but nothing said “Christmas” quite like a tray of buttery spritz cookies.
My favorite part (aside from sneaking a taste of the cookie dough) was pressing the shapes onto the cookie sheet. In fact, the name “spritz” comes from the German word spritzen, which means “to squirt,” because you literally press (or squirt!) the dough through a patterned disk to create those tiny trees, wreaths and snowflakes. No rolling, no cookie cutters.
Spritz cookies are similar to shortbread cookies, but with one important difference: the dough contains an egg. The egg gives the buttery dough just enough structure so the cookies hold their shape when baked, and keeps them from crumbling the way traditional shortbread sometimes does.
They’re nostalgic, they’re festive, they’re impossibly fun to make—and they’re about to become the star of your holiday cookie lineup.
- Butter: Unsalted and truly room temp (here’s how to soften butter quickly if you forget to take it out ahead of time). Spritz cookies are a butter-forward cookie, so use a good-quality butter like Land O’Lakes.
- Powdered sugar: Some spritz cookie recipes use granulated sugar, but I prefer to use powdered sugar for a melt-in-your-mouth texture. It dissolves seamlessly into the dough and keeps the cookies delicate.
- Egg: It binds the dough and keeps the cookies tender instead of crumbly.
- Vanilla extract: You’ll see these cookies made with vanilla, almond extract or even a combo. I prefer all vanilla for that classic buttery flavor, but almond extract is traditional in Scandinavian spritz cookies. If you go that route, use just ½ teaspoon.
- All-purpose flour: Gives the cookies structure. Measure your flour correctly (fluff, spoon, level!) so your dough stays soft and easy to press.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
These traditional holiday cookies might look fancy, but they’re actually so easy to make. Everything comes together in one bowl, and there’s no chilling required. Start by creaming the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, mix in the egg and vanilla, then add the flour. You’ll end up with a soft, pliable dough that presses cleanly through the cookie press and holds those cute, intricate shapes in the oven.
Press the dough onto your baking sheet and bake for 7 to 9 minutes. That’s it!
For the best results, use a cool, ungreased and unlined baking sheet. A warm pan will cause the butter to melt too quickly and your shapes to spread. I swear by my Nordic Ware Naturals sheet pans. If your pan is still warm from a previous batch, give it a quick chill under cold water, dry it thoroughly and keep going.
How to Use a Cookie Press (and Actually Get Perfectly Shaped Cookies)
If you’ve ever tried using a cookie press and ended up with dough blobs instead of cute little trees and snowflakes, trust me, you are not alone. A cookie press seems simple (and it is!), but a few tricks make all the difference between “Pinterest fail” and a bakery-worthy tray of spritz cookies.
Here’s how to get perfect shapes every time:
- Start with the right baking surface. Spritz cookie dough needs something to grip in order to release cleanly from the press. That means:
- Use an ungreased, unlined baking sheet.
- Do NOT use parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. The dough won’t stick and your shapes won’t release.
- Make sure your dough is the right consistency. The dough needs to be soft enough to press cleanly, but not so soft that it smears or sticks to the bottom of the press.
- If the dough is too stiff, it won’t come out of the press. Let it sit on the counter for 5–10 minutes to soften slightly. (Another reason accurate flour-measuring is a MUST!)
- If the dough is too sticky and clinging to the bottom of the press instead of your baking sheet, pop it in the fridge for just 5 minutes. A quick chill helps it release cleanly, but don’t let it get cold or it won’t press at all.
- And always make sure your dough is truly room temp.
- Hold the press straight up and down. This is the #1 mistake people make! Angle the press even a little, and you’ll get wonky shapes. Instead, place the press flat against the cookie sheet, squeeze once and lift straight up. Don’t twist or shimmy the cookie press as you lift it.
- One click = one cookie. I love my OXO cookie press because it gives incredibly consistent results. One click gives you one perfectly shaped cookie. If the first cookie looks thin or incomplete, prime the press by pumping the lever until you get an even amount of dough coming out of the disc. Then, start fresh on your baking sheet.
Don’t get discouraged if your first few shapes aren’t perfect. Just scrape the dough off, pop it back in the bowl and try again. This dough is very forgiving and won’t get tough from occasional re-pressing.
Decorating Spritz Cookies
Now that you know how to use a cookie press, let’s talk about the fun part: decorating! Spritz cookies come out of the press already looking adorable—trees, snowflakes, flowers, wreaths—but in my house, the decorating is half the tradition. My kids love adding alllll the sprinkles that turn these bite-sized beauties into Christmas cookie box showstoppers.
- Color the dough with gel food coloring. TK… Gel food coloring is your best friend here. It gives bold, vibrant color without making the dough too wet (liquid food coloring can change the texture). Divide your dough into smaller portions so you can create multiple festive shades.
- Add sprinkles before baking. Sprinkles won’t stick after the cookies are baked, so add them right after pressing. Sanding sugar, nonpareils and tiny holiday shapes work best.
- Add chocolate after baking. Once the cookies have cooled, dip or drizzle them in your melted chocolate of choice. Add crushed candy canes or holiday sprinkles for extra flair.
- Go classic with red cinnamon candies. Like my Christmas Cornflake Wreaths, a tiny red cinnamon candy is pure nostalgia. It gives that vintage, Grandma’s-cookie-tin vibe in the best possible way.
Or keep them plain! Honestly, a perfectly baked, buttery spritz cookie is a thing of beauty all on its own.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
These buttery cookies are the MVPs of the holiday season because they keep well, freeze perfectly and ship like a dream. Here’s how to keep them fresh from December 1st through the last cookie exchange before the New Year:
Once they’re completely cool, place them in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 1 week. Layer with parchment paper if you’re stacking them.
Can You Freeze Spritz Cookies?
Absolutely!
- To freeze baked cookies: Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp.
- To freeze unbaked dough: Shape your dough into a disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, thaw the dough in the fridge until pliable, then let it come to room temp before loading it into the cookie press. Cold dough won’t press cleanly, so don’t skip this step!
Do Spritz Cookies Ship Well?
YES. They’re one of the best cookies for gifting and mailing because they’re small, sturdy and hold their shape. Pack tightly in a cookie tin with parchment paper between layers and they’ll arrive as cute as when they left your kitchen.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
- 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- Gel food coloring (optional; See Kelly’s Note)
- Sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat just until combined.
- Add the flour and ½ teaspoon kosher salt, mixing just until combined.
- Transfer a portion of the dough into the cookie press fitted with your preferred disk. Press out the cookies, spacing them at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Top the cookies with sprinkles (optional).
- Bake the cookies until they are just set, 7 to 9 minutes, then remove them from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Kelly’s Notes
- Food coloring: Use gel, not liquid food coloring. It gives vibrant color without making the dough too soft. Divide and tint the dough in separate bowls if you want multiple festive shades.
- For the best results, use a cool, ungreased and unlined nonstick baking sheet. A warm pan will cause the butter to melt too quickly and your shapes to spread. I swear by my Nordic Ware Naturals sheet pans. If your pan is still warm from a previous batch, give it a quick chill under cold water, dry it thoroughly and keep going.
- To store: Once they’re completely cool, place them in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 1 week. Layer with parchment paper if you’re stacking them.
- To freeze baked cookies: Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp.
- To freeze unbaked dough: Shape your dough into a disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, thaw the dough in the fridge until pliable, then let it come to room temp before loading it into the cookie press. Cold dough won’t press cleanly, so don’t skip this step!
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